Three
separate demonstration sites were created as part of the Composting
101 Project. The reason was twofold: to provide a source
of hands-on, scientifically monitored data regarding the incorporation
of compost/humus in a variety of landscape amendments and to
provide publicly accessible tour destinations showcasing these
diverse applications.
As mentioned, this portion of the project involves significant
ongoing community partnership. The City of Brandon Public Works
and Parks/Cemetrey Departments provides land, machinery, labor,
signage and all materials. Brent Hansen Environmental and its
associate, Curtis Navratil, P. Eng, of LW Diamond Environmental,
provides the technical expertise required for professional site
design, creation of appropriate application rates and scientific
analysis of receiving soils and the various compost sources.
Clark Community Consulting assisted with data collection/photo
recording.
Dumping compost (hog waste)
at Riverbank Discovery Centre |
Riverbank
Discovery Centre (Brandon Tourism)
This site was chosen for its publicly accessible flowerbeds
located at the main (north) entrance to the building, featuring
the incorporation of compost/humus directly into the soil
of two beds prior to spring planting, with the middle drainage
bed left as an unadulterated control section.
The humus selected for use in the flowerbeds was hog manure/waste
compost (including straw and wood chips) due to its high organic
matter and moderate nitrogen content. Too much nitrogen would
encourage excess foliage growth at the expense of desired
blossoming. The compost was tilled into the soil as an organic
amendment at the ratio of three parts humus to seven parts
regular soil. For optimum results, planting occurred one week
after humus incorporation.
Spreading compost
at Brandon Cemetrey site |
Brandon Cemetrey
This site was chosen to demonstrate the use of compost/humus
as top dressing for established large turf (grass) areas.
The intent is to illustrate the viability of humus as
an effective
organic alternative to surface applied commercial/chemical
fertilizers and herbicides.
An open turf area twelve by forty metres, bound by evergreen
trees, was chosen for demonstration purposes. Compost from
residential yard waste was surface spread, and then lightly
raked, at a rate of twelve kilograms of humus per square metre
of turf. Yard waste compost was chosen for this site due to
its high nitrogen content, as a higher nitrogen availability
means less material volume is required for effective application
rates.
Although some dissipation of nitrogen will occur naturally
through this surface exposure, it is anticipated that this
will still provide approximately half of the three hundred
kilograms of nitrogen that grass can use, resulting in a positive
response at a relatively low rate of application.
Dumping and spreading
at Tree Nursery site |
City of Brandon Tree Nursery
This site was chosen to demonstrate the use of compost/humus
as an organic alternative to chemical fertilizers to
enhance
the growth of boulevard trees (Lindens) in the city tree
nursery.
Two types of compost were used in two likewise different applications:
-
Hog waste compost (including straw and wood chips) was
applied at a rate of twenty-eight kilograms of humus per
square surface metre between the rows of established young
trees as a post-planting top dressing amendment.
This compost was analyzed as being newly stable (as compared
to the hog waste compost used in the Riverbank flowerbeds)
at time of application, so it was left exposed on the
surface for one month of further curing and then tilled
into the soil around the trees to both fertilize and increase
organic matter in the depleted soil.
- Yard
waste compost was applied to unplanted rows at an application
rate of twenty-six kilograms per square surface metre.
This humus was spread on the designated rows and then
rototilled directly into the soil, with planting of the
saplings occurring later in that same week.
Yard waste was chosen for this application due to its
highly stable/cured (analyzed) status and because of its
high nitrogen content. A large portion of this available
nitrogen was in ammonia form. Direct tillage or incorporation
into the soil retains this form of nitrogen well, which
would otherwise dissipate through surface exposure on
bare soil.
All of the demonstration sites will be professionally monitored/analyzed
on an ongoing basis, including serving as an environmental
tour destination for interested parties, beyond the actual
life of the Composting 101 Project.
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